Freedom of Speech

[Jon]

Eric.
As you pointed out, there are currently no GM crops in the UK.
I am sure there are stacks of forums all over the internet where you can vent about GM, Monsanto, or any other hobby horse of yours.

What about your bees? Any colony losses so far this winter?

[Eric McArthur]

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Bees are doing great! One colony down. All the others are very strong! Thanks!

I would have thought that truth would be acceptable on all fora. The Scots are renowned for their fearless courage when truth and their freedom is threatened!
The prose pasted below is fact. This is the Monsanto way. For the pigs in question in Germany read “Scotland” at some time in YOUR future world not mine!
Eric
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Who Owns The Pigs Anyway?
Translated from the South West Press, Ulm, 27/5/2010

Recently a patent for a pig gene was rescinded by the European Parliament. However for the pig breeders of “Swabian Hall Pigs” this was only one victory in an ongoing campaign. The next event is about to take place.
The Swabian Hall Pigs are renowned for their appetising meat. The Schwabian Hall Breeding Co-operative wishes also in the future to retain not only responsible for its quality, but also to remain the proprietors.
They are campaigning against the issue of patents relating to animals and plants.
Christoph Zimmer reacted like most people, who hear of such patents: “I could not believe it”, he said. That was five years ago. At that time, Zimmer, Piggery Production Manager at the Schwabian Hall Breeders Co-operative, read for the first time the proposal of the US company, Monsanto, which they had submitted to the European Patent Office in Munich. The substance of the submission was relative to a patent for a gene, which is carried by many pigs and which promotes a faster growth and especially fine meat.
Monsanto had investigated the gene, established its characteristics and now desired to establish their ownership of the gene. “In the first instance - there was nothing new about this gene” Zimmer says. Because the breeders have been aware for years that many pigs carry this gene. This patent claim caused still greater anger and anxiety: because simultaneously Monsanto raised claim to the progeny of these pigs and also to whole herds of pigs. Since the Schwabian Hall Production Co-op had discovered that their famous, fine tasting pigs carried this gene they were extremely alarmed. Suddenly the question had arisen, who’s answer, previously no-one had every been in any doubt about.: viz- “Who owned the pigs?”.
This was the catalyst for the resistance of the 1 000 plus membership of the Breeder Co-operative. Zimmer summarised the general consensus that: “Patents of this type should never be granted”. The group took legal advice, invited speakers on the subject and ultimately, became themselves experts on the subject. They mounted demonstration at the headquarters of the department which issued the Patent in 2008 and submitted a counter claim. After the WDR, TV station broadcast a documentary about the situation sufficient public interest was generated that the German Farmers Union, which previously had shown no interest in the case eventually became involved in the dispute in 2009 and submitted a counter claim against the Patent.
Now a year later, at the end of April, 2009. the Patent was rescinded by the Munich Patent Office.
Last week the Production Manager received a new Patent submission on his table – Monsanto again. Although Monsanto has publicly stated on it’s web site that it has now withdrawn from its piggery interests – this recent Patent application concerns animal feed, which has been reinforced with Omega 3 fatty acid, which also promotes good meat quality. “This fact has also been long and widely understood by every breeder and farmer, says Zimmer. “Monsanto wants to patent this kind of feed stuff and simultaneously the meat produced from it by the target animals”.
Zimmer views this as a smart chess move. Because in so doing the company opens up a market: “This market will be able to patent pigs, which have been fed GM animal feed (soya, maize). In Zimmer’s opinion farmers who have fed GM soya without thought up until now will have to become very wary and the general public will ultimately have to become aware that something is very wrong here.

The fact that such insane patents have even a chance of success, lies within the structure of the European Parliament. Zimmer and many others criticise the fact that the authority, being so centralised is able to regulate itself. “The Representatives who take office here must be democratically elected”. There is also a lack of independent jurisdiction within the authority.
At the moment the Breeder Community is waiting on the decision of the Upper Appeals Court of the Patents Office, as are other interested opponents of such patents, on the outcome of the broccoli patent application. If the submission is rejected, that will be a signal to the multis, that not every submission will be allowed. If the application is accepted, then political measures will ultimately have to be taken to change the framework conditions of the patent applications system, demands Zimmer.

[Jon]

Right. So is this a hog forum or a bee forum?
Eric loads of people have views for or against GM and I am sure there is an appropriate forum somewhere on the internet to express those views.
You don't like Monsanto? Fine. I don't have much time for some of their sharp practice either but why bore us with this stuff here.

If I wanted to read cut and paste, whether translated from the original German or not, I would invoke the spirit of the master himself Mr Borderbeeman.
Cut and paste is the sign of a man unable to express himself in his own words.
I think you are smart enough to do that.